Article winding and packaging machine



Sept. 5, 1950 E. w. QUACKENBUSH 2,521,253

ARTICLE WINDING AND PACKAGING MACHINE Filed NOV. 13, 1945 /6 4 [HM/ WQMMMZM/M Patented Sept. 5, 1950 MACHI Edward W. Quackenbus lji.Chicagoflll. Application November 13, 1945, S8l'i2l'-Nds 628,15

6 claims; (Cl-1242 42) The present invention relates to a machine I to wind and wrap calendars or the likeior mail ing orshippingpurposes, and, although the present invention is designed particularly for winding calendars which have tin bindingsor edgings on either or both ends, it-can be used for windine maps, blue prints and other articles made of paper, cloth or parchment with or without bounl edges.

. Galendars are usually made with a binding strip of tin or fiber board :fastened across the top edge thereof to support the upper cornersasalnst drooping and to hold the calendar .flat against the wall. In some instances the strip 'alsobinds the tops of several sheets together in weight car rying relationship. Suitable eyelets or loops are generally provided to-engage wall hooks for hangingthe calendar.

After the calendars are printed and boundthey are stacked for hand packaging prior to being sent to customers through the mail or otherwise. Two forms of packaging are generally used -one, a cover sheet wrapped tightly around the calori dar and sealed along a gummed trailing edge, and, the other is a preformed :tube which receives the calendar in it, and is provided with paper cuffs at both ends to befolded-inwardly and hold the calendar in place. 1 Although sheets of paper have been wound heretofore on mandrels, difllculty has beenex' perienced in slipping them from the mandrel without the wound sheets spiralling and tightening against the mandrel and making removal almost impossible. In one or twoinstances where expanding devices have been used toprovide an oversize winding of the paper, the; paper has been subjected to injury by tearing or perforationand the mandrelshave been of such a large diameter that they have had to be supported in journals at both ends. In removing a wound article from cliche-mandrel one of the journalshasto be opened each time to free the Wound sheet for removal. Inboth of these instances so much trouble has been experienced with mechanical winding machines that practically all" calendars are being .rolledand packaged at the presenttime by hand. 7

In the present invention a winding: machine is. provided which is very simple in construction and very fast in itsoperation. the rotating part being made of a tube small enough in diameter and light enough that it can be started and abruptly stopped by hand or a mechanical device repeatedly withoutiniuryto the operator or deleterious results to the machine.

- A further object of the invention is to provide acalendar winding machine which causes the article wound to overthrow and loosenitself sur fioiently for ready removal when the machine suddenly stopped. y .4

Another object .of the invention is to provide. an arrangement for winding and wrapping :a

calendar in. which the surfaceof the mandrel is.

expanded radially prior to winding a calendar thereon and returned to size for removal of thecalendar and wrapper, when the machine is stopped. I V {A further purposeof the invention residesin the construction and arrangementof parts by which all the functions of the machine can loo controlled bye single foot treadle leaving the hands of theoperator free to manipulate the calendar and wrapper or shipping tubawhiche ever happens to be used to packagethe calendar-.- These; being among the objects of the present invention, other-and further-objects will become apparent .from the drawing, the description ire 139mg t r t and he appended claims.

In the. drawings: v V .Fig. 1 is aside elevational view of a machine embodying one form of the invention, Fig 2; iso section taken upon the line'l lin Fig. l. r Fig. 3 is a side elevational view,-partly}ii -seen tion of the head stock ofa; machinesimilar .to

that shown; in Fig. 1 illustrating a preferredem bodiment of} the; invention.

Fig {1- is a longitudinal section taken through the mandrel'employed with the embodiment'ile lustrated in Fig-3 I V 7 V .1 I Fig. 5 isasection taken uponline 5--5' irrFig llan Fig.6 isanend view of the mandrel illustrated e s-1 My invention contemplates the use of a tubular mandrel slotted irom one endalong oncside tor a predetermined length of the mandrel to re ceivetherethrough in a radial direction thebound top edgeot a calendar to be wound there: on for packaging- ;purposes. 'I he walls of the slot are so formed' with respect to their incline and shape that theiolded-over edge .of the binding will catch under the inner leading edge of the tube] when rotated and the outer edge (if the calendarbinding. is supported by the trailing" edge of the tube against slipping laterally and radially out of the slot.-

Iar mandrel ina winding direction whether the calendar is to be wound, or after winding is started again to wind on the wrapper.

After the mandrel has been spun far enough to wind the calendar on it, the mandrel is suddenly or abruptly stopped so that the inertia of the calendar will cause the calendar to overrun slightly and loosen depending upon how tightly the calendar is held by the operators hand when the mandrel is stopped.

If a wrapping paper is used, the leading edge thereof can be inserted under the trailing edge of the calendar and the mandrel again spun until the trailing, gummed edge of the wrapping paper engages in sealing relationship on its last turn. Thereafter the calendar thus packaged can be removed longitudinally from the mandrel quite easily. In those instances where the calendar is to be packaged in a tube, the tube is slipped over the mandrel after the calendar is wound thereon and while the mandrel is still spinning. Then upon the sudden stopping of the mandrel the overspin of the calendar will loosen itrapidly and this loosening, along with the tendency of the calendar to flatten itself out again will cause it to hug theinside surface of the tube and relinquish the-mandrel for ready removal lengthwise.

- In the preferred embodiment of the invention the mandrel is constructed so that whenever it is used in winding calendars that are packaged in wrappers, the portion thereof engaged by the calendar can be increased slightly in diameter at longitudinal spaced points to impose upon the tightly wrapped calendar a size greater than the normal diameter of the mandrel so that removal is accomplished easily when the mandrel size is relaxed. Thus the required sk i ll of the operator in holding the calendar on the mandrel during the winding operation is minimized. In this embodiment, when the mandrel is slowed down or stopped to receive the leading edge of the wrapper under the trailing edge of the calendar, the expanded mandrel can be maintained at its expanded diameter until the wrapper is completely sealed. Thereafter when the mandrel is stopped and the winding machine returned to its full resting position, the mandrel is relaxed to its minimum size to permit the ready removal of the wrapped calendar therefrom. Y

' A suitable device is illustrated in Fig. 1 for embodying and carrying forward the purposes of the invention in which a bed is provided with a bearing block H secured-to the top thereof by bolts I2. The bed In may be mounted upon a bench, but in the preferred embodiment as shown inFig. 1 it is provided with legs 13 to support it on the floor. Between the legs, a treadle I4 is pivotally mounted to operate a vertical rod 15 which is urged to its upper position by a. tension spring indicated in broken lines at It.-

The bearing block ll comprises a base 19 and 4 the rod 15 and the other arm carries a yoke 26 engaging in a circumferential groove 21 on the lag pulley 22 so that a depressing of the treadle [4 will move the lag pulley 22 to the right as viewed in Fig. 1 while the spring l6 urges the lag pulley 22 to the left when the treadle is released.

When moved to the right the lag pulley engages a friction clutch element 28 in drive relationship. The clutch element in turn is keyed and locked in fixed relationship to the shaft l8 by a set 'screw 30. When this drive engagement is established by depressing the treadle M, the shaft I8 is rotated by the motor 26 preferably in a direction in which the top of the shaft moves away from the operator so that the fingers of the operator can serve as a dragging brake upon the calendar to provide it with as tight a winding as desired.

Movement of the lag pulley 22 to the left disengages the drive of the shaft I8 and carries a stop 31 mounted on the lever-23 into the -path of an arm 32 mounted upon a collar-33 which is secured rigidly to the shaft IS. The stop 3| obstructs movement of the arm 32 only when the treadle 3 is fully released and the obstructing action of these two elements causes the shaft 18 to stop abruptly. The point at which the shaft I8 is stopped is maintained with little, if'any, rebound between the stop 3| and the arm 32 by the friction present between the rotating lag pulley 22 and the shaft 18. The collar 33 is adjustable longitudinally of the shaft l8 to maintain the. desired relationship in which there is an increment of movement available to the treadle ill in which the clutch is disengaged and the arm 32 is not obstructed by the stop 3|.

A switch is located at the front of the bed HI where it is readily available to control the operation of the motor 20 through an extension cord 35.

two axially spaced bearing blocks ll supporting a tubular shaft l8 in journalled relationship. At one side of the tubular shaft IS, a. motor 20 is mounted at a suitable distance to drive the shaft ['8 through a pulley and belt arrangement 2|. This drive includes a lag pulley 22 journalled upon the shaft l8 between the bearing blocks l1. The shaft I8 is held against longitudinal movement by collars 29 having set'screws 24 therein but the lag pulley'22 is freed to slip longitudinally of the shaft i8 a short distance and to rotate independently of the shaft [8 under the control of a lever 23 pivoted to the base IS by a'pivot The winding mandrel 36 is mounted in the shaft l8 and for this purpose has a shank portion ill-having a collar 36 rigidly secured through to engage the inner end of the shaft I8. The other end of the shank portion 31 is threaded to receive a nut 43 which engages the other end of the shaft it to secure the mandrel 36 rigidly to the shaft l8.

If desired, the mandrel need extend into th shaft onlyfar enough for good alignment and be held in place by a clamp screw instead of all the way through. But where it extends all the way through, it can be easily tapped free when replacement is desired.

7 Suitable splines (not shown) may be provided by which the mandrel'is received in only one predetermined position with respect to the shaft 18 so that the stop 3| and arm 32 always bring a slot 'fll inthe mandrel to a predetermined position each time the shaft I8 is stopped. In some instances it will be appreciated that the collar 38 and clamp nut 42 may be dispensed with, and theshank 37 ofthe mandrel locked in place by set screws carried by the shaft l8; However, it is-preferred to use the collar 38 and clamp-40 if it becomes desirable to change the mandrel repeatedly because this arrangement does hot scuff the surface where it is received inside the shaft l8 as compared with set screws.

The calendar receiving end of the mandrel overhangs the bed I!) with sufficient clearance between them for an operator to reach under the mandrel to pick up the leading edge of the top calendar on a stack of calendars disposed bepin 25. One arm of the'lever 23 is secured to yond the machine-where they are out of the way but readily accessible to the operator. A leadedse of,a conventionally bound calendar is illustrated in Fig. 2 where the paper portion of the calendar is illustrated by the numeral 43 with its leadingedge 44 folded as at 45 and bound'with a strip of tin..46.

. .As. thus Shown, the leading edge 44 presents a shoulder as at 4.1. The slot M. is so formed that the walls thereof define an angle of approximately 90 so that the angle between the leadin: wall 4.8 of the slot and an inner face 50 of the tube defines .an edge having an acute angle to engage the shoulder 41 whereby the engagement between the mandrel and the calendar is a mutually supported one under the load imposed between them when a calendar is being wound or spun.

In order to maintain this engagement the trailing edge 5| of the slot serves as a stop to prevent the binding from slipping radially and sidewise from the slot under centrifugal force during operation or under the reactionary force developed by the stopping arrangement.

The slot shown in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 is like the slot illustrated in Fig. 2 but in the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5 additional cuts in the form of slits 53 are provided in the wall of the mandrel 36a. Three are provided, preferably at right angles with respect to each other and symmetrically with respect to the slot 4|. These slits, however, as shown in Fig. 4 do not extend to the outer end of the mandrel nor to the shank portion 31. Secured to the body or segmented portions of the mandrel bounded by the slits are strips 54 spot welded as at 49. These strips provide segmented frustoconical surfaces 55 and 56 therein facing the outer end of the mandrel. Cooperating with these frusto-conical surfaces are two correspondingly contoured members 51 supported on a pull rod 58 which passes through and beyond the shank 310. where it receives a frictionless bearing assembly 60 (Fig. 3) of the ball bearing type with the outer race thereof supported for longitudinal movement with respect to the shaft l8 under the control of the lever 23. The rod 58 is forced outwardly by a lever 6| pivoted to one of the bearing blocks as at 62 under the influence of a link coupling the lever 6l to the lever 23. Thus when the lag pulley 22 is forced into engagement with the clutch member 28, the mating conical surfaces controlled by the rod 58 will cause the mandrel portions between the slits 53 to expand outwardly to increase the effective diameter of the mandrel 36a. Conversely, whenever the lag pulley 22 is moved to the left a distance sulficient for the mandrel to be stopped, the conical surfaces are disengaged and the mandrel relaxed to its original size for ready removal of the packaged calendar. A spring controlled, lost motion device 64 is provided as a part of the link 63 to eliminate undue strains upon the system.

It will be noted that an end plate 65 is provided in the end of the mandrel 36a to strengthen it in view of the otherwise weakening effect of the slits 53, the end plate also serving to prevent a spreading of the slot 4| when the mandrel is expanded. The end plate and the conical members 56 and 5'! are cut away as at 66 to afford clearance for the bound edge of the calendar to be removed lengthwise after the mandrel is stopped.

The thickness or thinness of the wall of the mandrel is determined in relationship to its length, same being such that the free end of the mandrel will not whip, the mandrel being-rotated at a speed between 400 and.500 R. P. M. in the preferred embodiment. These-speeds are not very often maintained for any length of time un less the calendar is packaged in a tubular car'- ton I V V With the construction shown, it will be readily appreciated how safety is enhanced because the release of the treadle l4 stops the machine instantly. Consequently, having set forth the objects and the principles. of operation of the in vention and its construction in its several embodiments, it will beseen that various and further embodiments can be provided without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A winding machine comprising a tubular mandrel having a plurality of slits through the wall and extending longitudinally throughout an inside portion of its length, said mandrel having a slot parallel with the slits extending longitudinally inwardly from one end thereof, means for expanding the tubular portions bounded by the slits, a clutch for controlling rotation of said mandrel, said clutch and said expanding means being actuated simultaneously, and means for securing the edges of the slot against expansion at the slotted end of the mandrel.

2. A winding machine comprising a tubular mandrel having a plurality of longitudinal slits through a wall throughout an inside portion of its length, means for radially expanding the tubular portions bounded by the slits, means for controlling said expanding means to remove it from operation during the time when the mandrel is stationary, and a slot through the wall of said mandrel extending to one end of the mandrel for receiving the end of the article to be wound.

3. A drive mechanism for a winding machine comprising a tubular shaft carrying a winding mandrel, a power unit, a clutch between the power unit and said shaft for selectively driving said shaft, and means including a rod extending through said shaft for expanding said mandrel when said clutch is engaged, and means for actuating said rod and said clutch.

4. A drive mechanism for a winding machine comprising a shaft carrying a winding mandrel, a lag pulley journalled on said shaft, a clutch member engaged by said lag pulley when moved axially along said shaft for selectively driving said shaft, stop means for abruptly stopping rotation of said mandrel when said clutch is disengaged, and means including a rod extending through said shaft for expanding said mandrel when said clutch is engaged.

5. In a winding machine the combination including a rotatable tubular mandrel having a slot through the wall thereof for holding the article to be wound, said slot extending from one end of said mandrel to a point adjacent the other end, a

plurality of slits through the wall of said mandrel parallel to said slot, said slot and said plurality of slits being equally spaced about the circumference of said mandrel, a rod rotatable with and disposed within said mandrel having a conical surface thereon, a mating conical surface on the inside of said mandrel, and means for moving said rod longitudinally with respect to said mandrel to expand the wall of said mandrel and increase the diameter thereof, longitudinal motion of said 7 rod being transformed o radial motion by said oonlcal surfaces.

6. A-winding machine comprising a tubular mandrel havlnga longitudinal slit through a wall EDWARD w. QUACKENBUSH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Date Name Chatfield Sept. 23, 1890 Carter Feb. 23, 1897 Scott Aug. 14, 1906 Summey Nov. 18, 1913 Marchev et a1 Mar. 5, 1935 Elvin et a1 Feb..1, 1938 Patterson Dec. 29,1942

Vander Linde June 20,v 1944 

